Jude Bellingham was one of the expected stars of Real Madrid against Liverpool. However, he was completely overshadowed by the brilliance of Ryan Gravenberch

Bellingham ‘out of the picture’ against Gravenberch

Jude Bellingham was one of Real Madrid’s expected stars against Liverpool. However, he was completely overshadowed by the brilliance of Ryan Gravenberch.

Gravenberch was tasked with directly marking Bellingham, and he did very well. The Real Madrid midfielder had only one shot, failed to complete any dribbles and created just 0.06 expected assists (xA). Bellingham’s lackluster attacking performance was largely down to the solid defending of Gravenberch, who made two tackles, two interceptions and three successful recoveries.

Gravenberch was not only excellent without the ball, but also completely controlled the tempo of the match when Liverpool had possession. He completed 92% of his passes, including seven accurate passes into the final third.

Gravenberch’s role in developing the ball and maintaining control of the game pleased coach Arne Slot. Coach Carlo Ancelotti, on the other hand, was certainly not happy with Bellingham’s limited influence throughout the match.

Bellingham completed 87% of his passes, but had 27 fewer successful passes than Gravenberch. He lost possession 13 times, while Gravenberch only lost possession 6 times, demonstrating the former Dortmund midfielder’s ineffectiveness.

According to SofaScore, Gravenberch was rated 7.2 points, higher than Bellingham’s 6.8 points. Although not as outstanding as some of his teammates, Gravenberch still showed stability and superiority, while Bellingham was overshadowed by teammates like Thibaut Courtois, Eduardo Camavinga and Federico Valverde despite the Real Madrid team generally playing below their best.

Although Bellingham is still considered to be the better value, the gap between him and Gravenberch has narrowed significantly this season. Gravenberch has matured and become a mainstay in Liverpool’s impressive victories. Meanwhile, Real Madrid’s form has declined, and Bellingham has not maintained his explosive scoring ability as last season.

One person who once rated Gravenberch as superior to Bellingham is former player Rafael van der Vaart. Sharing in April 2023, Van der Vaart said: “I think Gravenberch is better than Bellingham in every aspect, especially physically.”

In another interview in September this year, Van der Vaart reiterated this view: “I have received a lot of criticism for saying that Gravenberch has more potential than Jude Bellingham, but I still reserve my opinion.

I always believed that Gravenberch could reach the top if he could reach his full potential. I am not surprised by what he has shown this season for Liverpool and the Netherlands.”

Based on his performance at Anfield this morning, Van der Vaart is clearly right. Gravenberch was sharper and had a more obvious impact than Bellingham in a top-flight game.